Byodoin Temple
Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
UNESCO-listed Pure Land Buddhist temple in Uji, famous for the 11th-century Phoenix Hall.
The World’s Sacred Places
Sacred Places
Discover a curated guide to significant sacred places, pilgrimage traditions, architecture, documented history and practical visitor information across cultures and faith traditions.
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Curated Discovery
13 Sacred Places
Browse Sacred Places selected for Templestan’s public collection.
Chuson-ji
Koromonoseki, Hiraizumi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
UNESCO-listed Hiraizumi temple famous for the gold-covered Konjikido and Pure Land Buddhist heritage.
Hase-dera (Kamakura)
Hase, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
Kamakura temple famous for its monumental eleven-faced Kannon and a long sacred-origin story involving a statue carried by the sea.
Horyu-ji
Ikaruga, Ikoma District, Nara Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
One of the world’s oldest surviving wooden temple complexes and a foundational monument of Japanese Buddhism.
Kinkaku-ji (Rokuon-ji)
Kita, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
World-famous Zen temple in Kyoto centered on the gold-leaf-covered Golden Pavilion.
Kiyomizu-dera
Higashiyama, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
UNESCO-listed Kyoto temple famous for its wooden stage, Kannon devotion and Otowa Waterfall.
Naritasan Shinsho-ji
Narita, Chiba Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
Major Shingon temple near Narita, renowned for its daily Goma fire ritual and huge New Year pilgrimage crowds.
Risshaku-ji (Yamadera)
Yamadera, Yamagata, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
Mountainside temple in Yamagata reached by more than 1,000 stone steps, with a famous “eternal” Buddhist flame tradition.
Seiganto-ji
Nachisan, Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
Historic Buddhist temple beside Kumano Nachi Taisha, famous for its pagoda view with Nachi Falls.
Senso-ji
Asakusa, Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan Buddhism
Tokyo’s oldest and most famous Buddhist temple, centered on devotion to Kannon in historic Asakusa.
Todai-ji
Zoshicho, Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
UNESCO-listed Nara temple housing the monumental Great Buddha and central to early Japanese state Buddhism.
Yakushi-ji
Nishinokyo, Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
UNESCO-listed Nara temple dedicated to Yakushi Nyorai, the Medicine Buddha, with major early Buddhist art and pagodas.